Can’t take India lightly: Alastair Cook

January 15, 2013 8:42 am

Agencies, KochiStating that England can not take Indian Cricket team lightly, England Capitan Alastair Cook today said that they would work consistently and maintain their standard of performance to beat the host country in the second ODI tomorrow as well as the current ODI and test series against India.

Talking to media on the eve of the second ODI here, he said that even though they had won the first ODI at Rajkot and kicked off a good start, his teams did not take the Indian team lightly as they were world class in the cricket.
Admitting that the win over India was a great start in the series, he said it was an important game to win.

“However, our task does not end and the team has to move on hopefully. We need to keep up the standard of our performance and win the upcoming games,’ he added.

“Our opponents are a world class side and statistics shows how hard it is to win here,” he said, adding “we have prepared for that and we will have to keep up our skill and standard of performances, if we want to win the game as well as the series.”

Giving full trust to his pacers Steven Finn and Jade Dernbach, he expressed hope that they would give good support tomorrow as they did in Rajkot. On the wicket at Rajkot, he said the wicket was incredibly hard for them. But it was quick outfield. It was, probably, one of the fastest wicket he had ever played so far, he said adding that it was easier for batsman.

Indian Opener Gautam Gambhir today came with the support of the bowlers, stating that the bowlers cannot be blamed for the defeat in the first ODI at Rajkot and the responsibility shoulder with all the 11 players.
It was not with the opener or middle order responsible for the defeat, he said adding that all 11 players and no difference to opener or middle order.

“Only bowlers don’t win the match for you. All the 11 players that get on to the field have to do it for you.
Whenever the batsmen don’t do well, bowlers cover up for them and vice versa. I don’t believe in blaming one area of the game. I think the bowlers are putting in all the hard work, and the way they won the match for us against Pakistan (in Delhi) was commendable,” said the left handed batsmen on the eve of their second ODI said today.
Stating that none could be blamed about the performance of Ishant Sharma, he said even the England bowlers struggled well, as India scored just 11 runs short to England’s 325 runs in the first ODI at Rajkot, which indicate the wicket was favorable for batsmen as there was no difference between Indian and England bowlers.